A variety of folded paperboard containers having eight sides are well known in the art. Typical examples are U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,199,098 and 4,289,267. Each of these prior art containers, as well as others, are formed from paperboard blanks that are divided by fold lines into a plurality of side panels as well as top and bottom forming flaps or panels. The folded paperboard type of container is widely accepted by industry because it may be provided with a varying number of sides, it is relatively inexpensive to produce, and takes little storage space in its folded condition. In addition, it readily accepts printing on its exterior surfaces.
One of the difficulties encountered in developing a container having a large number of sides is the construction of the bottom which will provide adequate support for the contents of the container, which contents may for example be a liquor bottle, and yet which can be easily erected. The so called "automatic bottom" has been developed which is formed of a number of bottom panels which are connected to each of the side panels of the container by fold lines. During construction, various bottom panels are glued, or otherwise bonded to each other, so that the combination of bonded and folded bottom panels interlock with each other to form the bottom of the container. The automatic bottom does not require any manipulative steps on the part of the user to form the bottom of the container, rather the bottom is automatically formed when the container is opened to its full form. U.S. Pat. No. 4,289,267 discloses one form of automatic bottom which may be suitable for an eight-sided container, however, this design has several drawbacks. Thus, by forming the bottom from a number of panels of generally the same size it is not possible to achieve the strength desired as when it is formed from bottom flaps, which include two large flaps which, when pushed into position, form a strong bottom because they interlock and overlap with each other.